CAP Programs

COMMUNITY ACTION PARTNERSHIPS

Our Local Community Action Partnerships put power in the hands of impoverished and struggling people, providing local direction so that citizens can decide how to best meet the needs of their community.

We make it clear to residents of the communities we serve that they are not alone in their fight against poverty, crime, homelessness and hunger; and we provide them with the tools they need to overcome their barriers to self-sufficiency.

Some aid programs provide only short-term assistance, leaving recipients temporarily out of harm’s way but without the skills and resources needed to break the cycle of poverty, be self-sufficient and achieve financial independence. But Community Action is different.

Community Action is based on the principle that local control can best provide for sustainable community development, as well as the now-familiar notion that a “hand up” is preferable to a “handout.”

The Community Action Program dates back to 1964, when it was included in the Economic Opportunity Act under President Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty. Since then, more than 1,000 Community Action Agencies (CAAs) have been founded in the United States, serving more than 99% of counties. The primary source of federal funding for CAAs is the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG).

Our neighborhood service centers are the hubs around which our company’s community action system revolve. They serve the critical role of advocates for impoverished and minority constituencies, assisting them in organizing in order to influence the larger community’s allocation of resources; keeping their interests before local governments, public and private agencies.

CAPs serve to:

identify local needs

provide vital resources to neighborhood and community groups

secure professional and technical assistance

provide direct services to individuals who have nowhere else to turn

Community Action Partnership (CAP) centers provide the following programs and services:

Employment & Employment Support

Back-to-School Programs

Summer Education Programs

Adult Basic Education Preparation

Benefit Coordination & Advocacy

Nutrition & Wellness

Senior & Disabled Wellness

Clothing & Furniture

Holiday Gifts

Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA)

Before and After School Activities

Emergency Financial Assistance

To learn more about our individual CAPS, please click on the links below:

Search

We have all spent the last several days and weeks learning about the coronavirus (COVID-19) and how it is impacting our communities and world. For us at WestCOP, that means understanding how it affects our employees, volunteers, clients, and communities, and then making the necessary adjustments to our work and operations.

The leadership team at WestCOP has one simple objective that guides us: keeping you, our employees, volunteers, and clients safe. This has been at the center of our conversations every step of the way. With that said, we are making several moves in our agency in response to the threat of the coronavirus.

We are working with our cleaning companies to ramp up cleaning services at our locations and are encouraging all Managers to install hand sanitizer at the front entrances of their building/programs.

WestCOP is closely following the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) guidelines and recommendations on the steps we can take to help prevent the spread of the virus. We have shared specific instructions in prior communications on the importance of washing your hands and staying home if you are feeling sick or are returning from an area of the world identified as posing a coronavirus-related risk. Per the CDC recommendations, we will ask employees who have traveled to such locations or have been exposed to others who have traveled to such locations to self-quarantine for 14 days. We have implemented some (COVID-19) screening questions that our staff is now asking all our clients, volunteers, and visitors before entering our facilities. It’s our goal to ensure that all our employees, volunteers, clients, and visitors are well informed and protected.

WestCOP will continue to closely monitor the situation and do all we can to protect you and our clients.